Map showing coastal route US 90, connecting Pascagoula with Ocean Springs, Mississippi. External audio October 11, 1973 recording (https://www.cla rionledger.com/story/news/2020/07/13/pascag oula-ufo-alien-abduction-case-interview-recordi ng-has-surfaced/3264064001/) of Hickson and Pascagoula incident The Pascagoula incident was an alleged UFO close encounter reported by Charles Hickson and Calvin Parker, who claimed they were taken aboard a UFO and examined before being released by aliens while fishing Pascagoula, Mississippi The primary claimant, Charles Hickson, would go on to be a UFO celebrity, alleging on-going contact with the beings and appearing on national television. The Pascagoula incident took place amid the 1973 UFO flap a spate of UFO reports in the US South, particularly Louisiana and Mississippi. Around 8 PM on October 11, service station operator Larry Booth called the sheriff to report seeing a strange craft with a blinking colored light pass Around 11 PM, 45-year-old Charles Hickson and his 17-year-old relative Calvin Parker arrived at the Jackson County, Mississippi sheriff's office to report a strange encounter. According to Hickson, the pair had been fishing off a pier on the west bank of the Pascagoula River when they heard a whirring/whizzing sound, saw two flashing blue lights, and observed an oval-shaped object 3040 feet (912 m) across and 810 feet (23 m) Hickson explained that the young Parker fainted and remained unconscious during the examination. Hickson claimed three "creatures" with "pincers" took them aboard the object and subjected them to an examination, before returning them to the wharf. According to the pair, they initially decided not to report the incident but instead went to the Mississippi Press office to share their story. On learning no newsmen were present, the pair continued on to the sheriff's office to make a report. Captain Glenn Ryder later told press that he was initially skeptical and suspected a prank but soon came to believe the men were sincere. Ryder smelled alcohol on Hickson's breath, but Hickson explained he had only drunk whiskey after being released. Ryder told press that the men were not drunk. Officers left Hickson and Parker alone in a room, secretly recording the conversation between the two hoping to catch them in a lie, but their stories remained consistent with their original testimony. External videos Hickson on To Tell The Truth (https://www.y outube.com/watch?v=xVO6Z5zOSzA) On October 12, 1973, the Mississippi Press of Pascagoula reported on the two men who claimed to have been taken onboard a UFO by strange creatures the previous night. The two men scheduled a press conference for the 11:15 AM on October 12, but it was cancelled. That same day, the Associated Press and United Press International wire services picked up the story, which was covered in papers nationwide. The two men were examined at Keesler Air Force Base, cleared of radiation exposure, and released. Locals called for federal officials to investigate. Ufologist James Harder and debunker-turned-promoter J. Allen Hynek traveled to Mississippi and interviewed the two men, separately, under hypnosis. They told press the accounts were likely based on fact. By October 17, press documented subsequent UFO reports in the wake of nationwide attention. On October 19, an article under the pair's name appeared in the local paper; that piece argued the creatures were robotic and friendly. An artist conception of a 'creature' was published in Biloxi on October 20. The pair agreed to tell their story to the local rotary club. It was reported the pair were set to take lie detector tests. By October 24, press compared the case to the Betty and Barney Hill Local press reported the two men had not been seen at their workplace, prompting speculation they were being paid to tell their story. October 27 press confirmed an upcoming polygraph. By October 30, a Los Angeles radio station was advertising an exclusive interview with the two men. On October 31, press reported that a local polygraph examiner had concluded Hickson "told the truth as to what he believed", cautioning "we do not say a space ship landed or that creatures emerged from it." The use of the polygraph as a lie detector was discredited by the 1980s. Through an attorney, Parker declined to take a polygraph unless requested by Hickson. The attorney said Parker had recently been hospitalized. appeared on the November 2 episode of The Dick Cavett Show On November 8, local press reported that a fisherman and his 14 year old son claimed to have seen an illuminated object underwater in the same river. On November 29, Hickson appeared at a taping of the Mike Douglas show; the episode aired in syndication in late December. Hickson also appeared on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. In January, Hickson was arrested for public drunkenness after being found wandering along a In April, Hickson traveled to Detroit to address a UFO group. That month, Hickson told press that he was in on-going contact with the beings, having had three different encounters. Hickson teased that the being would soon provide a message along with proof of their existence which he would relay to Washington. Later in April, Hickson met with "ancient astronauts" Eric von Dniken Hickson gave interviews and lectures, and appeared on television (including an episode of the game show To Tell The Truth In 1974, he claimed additional encounters with aliens. In October 1974, Hickson was described as a "UFO celebrity" who would be featured in an upcoming NBC documentary. everything we knew to try to break their stories," Jackson County sheriff's Capt. Glen Ryder told The Washington Post in 1975. "If they were lying to me, they should be in Hollywood." In 1983, Hickson authored a self-published book, UFO Contact at Pascagoula. Publicity and later activities Parker later attended UFO conventions, and in 1993 started a company called "UFO Investigations" to produce television stories about UFOs. In September 2011, Hickson died of a heart attack at the age of 80. In 2018, Parker released his book, entitled Pascagoula: The Closest Encounter, My Story, which is "the first full account of the event given by Parker along with how it affected his life". June 22, 2019, a historical marker was unveiled at the site of the alleged abduction, funded by the historical society and with placement approved by the city. Parker attended the unveiling, as did Hickson's son and family. Parker stated, "It is emotional for me. I can't really describe it because I would break out in tears if I do. I wish when I died I could be buried right here underneath this plaque, that would explain it the best. It is quite an honor." Parker died from kidney cancer in August 2023 at the age of 68. In 2024, Netflix's Files of the Unexplained covered the incident. The City of Pascagoula hosts a festival every year in October to mark the anniversary of the Aviation journalist and UFO skeptic Philip J. Klass found "discrepancies" in Hickson's story, noted that Hickson refused to take a polygraph exam conducted by an experienced examiner, and concluded that the case was a Skeptical investigator Joe Nickell wrote that Hickson's behavior was "questionable" and that Hickson later altered or embellished his claims. Nickell speculated that Hickson may have fantasized the alien encounter during a hypnagogic "waking dream state", and suggested that Parker's corroboration of the tale was likely due to suggestibility because he initially told police he had "passed out at the beginning of the incident and failed to regain consciousness until it was over", a claim supported by Hickson during his To Tell the Truth appearance. List of UFO sightings 1. "Pas men 'forced' aboard UFO" (https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-mississippi-press-pas -men-forced-a/177108859/). The Mississippi Press. October 12, 1973. p. 1. 2. Nickell, Joe (May 2012). "Famous Alien Abduction in Pascagoula: Reinvestigating a Cold Case" (http://www.csicop.org/si/show/famous_alien_abduction_in_pascagoula_reinvestigating_a_cold _case/). Csicop.org. Committee For Skeptical Inquiry. Retrieved February 25, 2015. 3. Paul Kurtz (September 10, 2013). The Transcendental Temptation: A Critique of Religion and the Paranormal (https://books.google.com/books?id=PQh6AAAAQBAJ&pg=PT442). Prometheus Books. pp. 442. ISBN 978-1-61614-828-7. Skepticism References 5. "The Great UFO Wave of 1973 brought an 'Autumn of Aliens' to Middle Tennessee" (https://ww w.nashvillescene.com/news/the-great-ufo-wave-of-1973-brought-an-autumn-of-aliens-to-middle -tennessee/article_1aedcb58-7b62-512d-9dc1-77bebdecb87a.html). October 31, 2013. 6. "Southeast reports of UFO's continue" (https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-greenwood-co mmonwealth-southeast-rep/177128674/). The Greenwood Commonwealth. September 10, 7. "Sheriff sights UFO's over Tennessee; his office traffic control center" (https://www.newspapers. com/article/the-sun-sheriff-sights-ufos-over-tennes/177127692/). The Sun. October 1, 1973. 8. "Policemen, little boys report UFO's" (https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-sun-policemen-lit tle-boys-report-uf/177125882/). The Sun. October 2, 1973. p. 23. 9. "UFO? Helicopter? Sighted Near Fort Pemberton?" (https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-gr eenwood-commonwealth-ufo-helicopt/92156400/). The Greenwood Commonwealth. October 4, 10. "Headed This Way" (https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-sun-headed-this-way-grenada-mi 11. "Deputy in Plight: Should he give ticket to UFO?" (https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-miss issippi-press-deputy-in-plight/177125842/). The Mississippi Press. October 7, 1973. p. 1. 12. Amy, Jeff (October 11, 2013). "Man says 1973 UFO incident turned life upside down" (http://ww w.twincities.com/nation/ci_24287714/man-says-1973-ufo-incident-turned-life-upside). Twin Cities Pioneer Press. Associated Press. Retrieved February 25, 2015. 13. "Mississippian recalls night of abduction on spaceship" (https://news.google.com/newspapers? nid=1891&dat=19870809&id=ZABHAAAAIBAJ&sjid=_v0MAAAAIBAJ&pg=2467,1458223). Associated Press. August 9, 1987. Retrieved February 25, 2015. 14. Brockell, Gillian (June 26, 2019). "The men claimed they were abducted by aliens. In Mississippi, police believed them" (https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2019/06/26/i-floate d-inside-man-returns-site-ufo-abduction-it-gets-historical-marker/). The Washington Post. Retrieved October 23, 2023. 15. "Rockets may cause reports of UFOs" (https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-mississippi-pre ss-rockets-may-cause/177125597/). The Mississippi Press. October 17, 1973. p. 1. 16. "Pascagoula Abduction" (https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-vicksburg-post-pascagoula-a bduction/163726264/). The Vicksburg Post. October 12, 1973. p. 1. 17. "Officials to Investigate UFO Story" (https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-vicksburg-post-offi cials-to-investig/177112062/). The Vicksburg Post. October 13, 1973. p. 2. 18. "Scientist term Pas UFO report as 'true'" (https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-mississippi-p ress-scientist-term-pas/177112551/). The Mississippi Press. October 14, 1973. p. 1. 19. "Alleged sightings of UFOs spread across the land" (https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-a ustin-daily-herald-alleged-sighting/177113267/). The Austin Daily Herald. October 17, 1973. 20. "Alleged sightings of UFOs spread across the land" (https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-a ustin-daily-herald-alleged-sighting/177113267/). The Austin Daily Herald. October 17, 1973. 21. "Incident is retraced week after happening" (https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-mississipp i-press-incident-is-retrac/177115590/). The Mississippi Press. October 18, 1973. p. 8. 22. https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-mississippi-press-hickson-parker/177115743/ 23. "UFO craze hit Georgia first" (https://www.newspapers.com/article/sun-herald-ufo-craze-hit-geo rgia-first/177116295/). Sun Herald. October 20, 1973. p. 8. 24. "Highlights in the Headlines" (https://www.newspapers.com/article/enterprise-journal-highlights- in-the-hea/177117959/). Enterprise-Journal. October 22, 1973. p. 1. 25. "Pascagoulans to take lie test" (https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-pascagoulans-t o-take-lie-test/177118214/). Daily News. October 23, 1973. p. 1. 26. "Two Scared Fishermen and a Hanging UFO" (https://www.newspapers.com/article/st-louis-pos t-dispatch-two-scared-fishe/177118439/). St. Louis Post-Dispatch. October 24, 1973. p. 68. 27. "Pascagoulans missing after UFO venture" (https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-birmingha m-news-pascagoulans-missing/177118585/). The Birmingham News. October 24, 1973. p. 2. 28. "Basrtrop Men to Evaluate UFO 'Story'" (https://www.newspapers.com/article/morning-world-ba srtrop-men-to-evaluate-u/177118786/). Morning World. October 27, 1973. p. 1. 29. "UFO Bureau Official Scans Skies" (https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-waco-news-tribun e-ufo-bureau-officia/31444341/). The Waco News-Tribune. October 29, 1973. p. 10. 30. "UFO Captives Grant Exclusive Interview" (https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-los-angeles -times-ufo-captives-grant/177119072/). The Los Angeles Times. October 30, 1973. p. 60. 31. "Polygraphist indicates Hickson telling truth" (https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-sun-poly graphist-indicates-hickson-t/177121176/). The Sun. October 31, 1973. p. 8. 32. "Pascagoula Abductor" (https://www.newspapers.com/article/sun-herald-pascagoula-abductor/1 33. "Tonight's TV Programs" (https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-jersey-journal-tonights-tv-pro grams/177122740/). The Jersey Journal. November 2, 1973. p. 19. 34. "Pas men observe strange underwater object in Sound" (https://www.newspapers.com/article/th e-mississippi-press-pas-men-observe-st/177123026/). The Mississippi Press. November 8, 35. "Hickson to appear with Mike Douglas" (https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-mississippi-pr ess-hickson-to-appear/177123353/). The Mississippi Press. November 29, 1973. p. 7. 36. https://www.newspapers.com/article/news-record/177123588/ 37. "Life has changed for 2 who said they rode on UFO" (https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-b irmingham-news-life-has-changed-for/177123729/). The Birmingham News. January 31, 1974. 38. "Passenger on UFO to Visit Here" (https://www.newspapers.com/article/detroit-free-press-pass enger-on-ufo-to-v/177123888/). Detroit Free Press. April 5, 1974. p. 17. 39. "Charles Hickson, a message from outer space?" (https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-mis sissippi-press-charles-hickson-a/177124018/). The Mississippi Press. April 12, 1974. p. 13. 40. "Von Daniken meets Hickson" (https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-mississippi-press-von-d aniken-meets/177124285/). The Mississippi Press. April 30, 1974. p. 10. 41. To Tell the Truth, episode taped November 20, 1973 42. "UFO celebrity seeks people who were in area" (https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-missis sippi-press-ufo-celebrity-seek/177114934/). The Mississippi Press. October 17, 1974. p. 13. 43. "Mississippi man who said he was abducted by aliens dies" (https://www.reuters.com/article/us- ufo-captive-idUSTRE78C66R20110913). Reuters. September 14, 2011. Retrieved October 23, 44. Broom, Brian (July 6, 2021). "Alien abduction: 45 years after alleged UFO encounter, Mississippi man breaks his silence" (https://www.clarionledger.com/story/magnolia/2018/08/13/ alien-abduction-45-years-after-ufo-encounter-mississippi-man-breaks-his-silence/922706002/). The Clarion Ledger. Retrieved October 23, 2023. 45. Broom, Brian (September 2, 2023). "'It completely changed my life': Calvin Parker, MS man allegedly abducted by aliens, has died" (https://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/2023/09/02/c alvin-parker-alleged-victim-of-1973-alien-abduction-has-died/70706499007/). The Clarion Ledger. Retrieved October 23, 2023. 46. "Historical marker unveiled honoring possible alien abduction in Pascagoula" (https://www.wlox. com/2019/06/23/historical-marker-unveiled-honoring-possible-alien-abduction-pascagoula/). WLOX. June 23, 2019. Retrieved October 23, 2023. 47. "Calvin Parker, who claimed he was abducted by aliens in Pascagoula in 1973, has died" (http s://www.wlox.com/2023/09/02/calvin-parker-who-claimed-he-was-abducted-by-aliens-pascagou la-1973-has-died/). WLOX. September 3, 2023. Retrieved October 23, 2023. 48. "Pascagoula holds viewing party for Netflix documentary on 1973 UFO sighting" (https://www.w lox.com/2024/04/20/pascagoula-holds-viewing-party-netflix-documentary-1973-ufo-sighting/). 49. "Goula Palooza: 10/3/25" (https://www.mainstreetpascagoula.com/goulapalooza). mainstreetpascagoula.com. City of Pascagoula. Retrieved October 4, 2025. 50. Nickell, Joe (2012). "Famous Alien Abduction in Pascagoula: Reinvestigating a Cold Case" (htt ps://cdn.centerforinquiry.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/29/2012/05/22164303/p12.pdf) (PDF). Skeptical Inquirer. 36 (3). Retrieved January 23, 2024. 51. Picknett, Lynn (2001). The Mammoth Book of UFOs (https://books.google.com/books?id=9WS eBAAAQBAJ&pg=PT195). Constable & Robinson. p. 195. ISBN 1-84119-075-6. Information about the Pascagoula Abduction and Calvin Parker's book. (http://www.calvin-parke "All They Meant To Do Was Go Fishing" (http://www.nicap.org/reports/731011pascagoula_hicks ontape.htm) (NICAP transcript of an interview with Hickson and Parker) Nickell, Joe. "The Pascagoula Abduction: A Case of Hypnagogia?" in Ballester-Olmos, V.J., and Heiden, Richard W. (Eds.), The Reliability of UFO Witness Testimony (https://www.academia.e du/101922617/The_Reliability_of_UFO_Witness_Testimony). UPIAR, Turin, Italy (2023), Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Pascagoula_incident&oldid=1338274496" External links UAP Document Archive Playwright Render SOURCE URL https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pascagoula_Abduction en.wikipedia.org CONTEXT FROM ORIGINAL DOCUMENT storage-facility (PUBLIC DOMAIN) - 11 October 1973 Civilians Charles Hickson and Calvin Parker claim they see an oval UAP and are taken aboard the craft by robots for examination near the Pascagoula River in Mississippi. Hickson refused to take a polygraph, but former Project Blue Book advisor J. Allen Hynek stated the testimony was sincere. Parker claims his father once worked for the Atomic Energy Commission near Area 51, and the sighting occurred near a shipyard managed by Ingalls Shipbuilding, then owned by Litton Industries, creator of advanced space suits for the USAF and NASA. The appearance of the alleged entities Hickson and Parker saw may match the description of advanced experimental suits Litton was designing at the time. Was this event a military test of some kind using UAP abduction as a cover? UAP Archiver Full Fidelity Mode www.ufoscans.com